Echo Beach is a great place to enjoy a laid-back vibe and some of the best surfing and best sunsets in Canggu.
It’s an area of natural beauty and within walking distance of many luxury villas, hotels, and guest houses.
It’s the perfect location for those seeking to improve their surfing at the local surf schools for a reasonable price and those looking for a good spot located a little further from the busiest parts of Canggu.
Our guide will teach you everything you need to know about Echo Beach in Bali.
Where Is Echo Beach, Bali?
Echo Beach is in the West of Bali. It’s roughly 35 kilometres to the Northwest of Kuta and Seminyak and about 14 kilometres West of Denpasar.
The beach is at the end of Jalan Pantai Batu Mejan and, in fact, it was called Batu Mejan Beach until somebody decided that it was easier to call it Echo Beach and that became commonly accepted.
If you’re landing at the Ngurah Rai International Airport (and unless you arrive by boat to Bali, it’s the only way to get to Bali) then you will need to drive for about 45 minutes (depending on the traffic) to get to Echo Beach.
How To Get To Echo Beach, Bali
If you’re coming from the airport then the best way to get to Echo Beach is to get a hotel transfer.
These can usually be arranged easily through your hotel and the Canggu Beach area is usually low or no cost as an incentive to stay in the hotel.
If you opt for this method then you will be met off the plane in Bali by someone holding up a card with your name on it, and then you and your luggage will be loaded in a van and taken directly to your hotel/villa/guest house and then you can walk to the beach from there.
What’s The Entrance Fee To Echo Beach, Bali?
There is no entrance fee to Echo Beach and anyone, who tells you that there is, is scamming you.
You may be required to pay for parking near the beach but most people walk from nearby accommodation and thus, don’t need to worry about this.
When Is The Best Time To Visit Echo Beach Bali?
The best time to visit Echo Beach is going to be during the dry season which runs from March to October. It’s less likely to rain which means you can spend more time on the sand or in the surf.
It’s also a little cooler due to an onshore breeze at this time of year.
However, it’s fine to come during the rainy or wet season too. It’s a little warmer (mainly because it’s more humid) but it’s not going to rain all day, every day during your visit.
In fact, Bali sees nearly 9 hours a day of sunshine throughout the wet season and as long as you have decent accommodations, it’s easy to wait out the hour or two of rain you might see on a typical day.
It can rain at night too, but most people will be in their villa or room at night and it won’t matter too much.
What Should You Take to Echo Beach, Bali?
You don’t need a huge amount of stuff when you visit the beach here but you might appreciate some or all of the following:
A camera – for sunsets
A surf board – if you want to surf
A tripod – because long exposures are better
A power bank – to recharge your phone after a day in the sun
A rain jacket – just in case
A quick dry towel – super handy
A dry bag and/or a day bag – to keep your stuff in
Sunscreen – to stay safe
What Can You Expect At Echo Beach, Bali?
Echo Beach is not the most hectic spot in Bali but there are still plenty of things to do rather than spending the day by the pool at your villa.
Black Sand Beach
The sands here are black and if you’ve never seen black sand on a beach before it’s kind of fascinating to behold.
It’s caused by the local volcanoes erupting and spewing out black stone which is then broken down, over time, by the sea and pulped into sand.
Surfing Lessons
There are some decent surf schools on the beach and if you’re looking to improve from being an intermediate surfer to an advanced surfer, this is a good place to learn.
However, it’s a bad place to be a beginner as the waves can be dangerous.
You can also rent surf equipment cheaply at the surf schools.
The Echo Beach Reef Break
This break offers a left-hand wave that comes in front of the local restaurants on the beach.
It rushes in hard to a shallow reef and it’s flat-out dangerous to newbies, even skilled surfers a going to find it a challenge.
Sand Bar Surf Spot
This breaks in both directions and can be faster and heavier than the first spot. However, there’s no reef but sand here, so it is a safer place.
Echo Beach River Mouth Surf Spot
This right-hand wave break is the only place that a beginner might feel safe as it runs all the way to a sand bar.
Sunbathing
This quiet beach is an excellent place for sunbathing and you can easily rent a sunbed or sun lounger nearby..
However, please make sure to use sunscreen, sunglasses and a sunhat as appropriate.
The sun is very strong here in Bali and there’s nothing worse than sunburn or heat stroke to ruin a holiday.
Beach Vendors
The beach vendors aren’t quite as pushy here as in some of the bigger tourist areas of Bali and they sell some pretty tasty snacks.
Don’t be afraid to turn down anything that they offer or just ignore them if they start hassling you.
Sunsets At The Local Warungs
Sadly there are no longer any local warungs on the beach but there are a couple of restaurants not too far away, where you can enjoy the sunset and a cold Bintang or cocktail or two.
Jacks Bar & Restaurant has an excellent salad bar and it’s very good value. If you want plenty of salad for a fixed price, you can’t beat a salad bar and there aren’t many of them in this location or anywhere in Bali for that matter.
Jempinis Beach Bar is a great place to stop and quench your thirst before a nice sunset on the beach. They also do some great seafood.
Beach BBQs
While many sites talk about beach BBQs at Echo Beach, sadly, these are no longer available as the local warungs were recently demolished. You can get food in the nearby area, just no BBQs on the beach.
Where To Stay Near Echo Beach, Bali
There are plenty of nice places to spend the night in this location and whether you want a villa with a pool view or a cheap property with a pool or just a budget bed, you can easily find it around Echo Beach.
Echo Beach Villa & Apartment – one of the nice things about this Canggu Beach accommodation complex is that they provide guests with free bikes to get around on. Of course, that doesn’t mean you will want to ride in the Balinese traffic but it does give you the option. This villa is close to many local restaurants and has free Wi-Fi in all rooms.
Theanna Eco Villa & Spa – just a 6-minute drive away you can enjoy one of the most luxurious spots in Canggu. The location offers an excellent spa and a free shuttle service to other places in the area. It also has free bikes if you want them. If you want an amazing villa and you don’t mind paying luxury villa prices – you can’t go wrong.
Frii Hotel – you can get a pool view or a sea view from the rooms here and it’s just a short walk from the beaches in Canggu. All rooms have air conditioning and flat-screen TVs.
The Bed by The Sea – this is a very affordable property because it’s a shared villa. The rooms are spacious and it can accommodate a reasonable number of guests. There’s free Wi-Fi throughout the property and a nice pool too. We’d be happy to spend the night at this villa.
The Hideout Hostel – this site is located in Pererenan but it’s one of the cheapest places to stay in Canggu. Each room has its own coffee machine and there’s an excellent communal pool and garden space.
Other Hot Surf Spots In Canggu Near Echo Beach, Bali
There are four other beaches in the area that you might enjoy surfing or swimming at.
Pererenan Beach
This is a small beach and it’s got some beautiful surroundings. It’s very popular with both surfers and kite surfers, alike.
It’s also a family-friendly beach.
Berawa Beach
Berawa holds the largest inland lagoon in Canggu. Its rocky reefs are for expert surfers only, mind you and it’s not a swimmer’s beach.
However, it’s very chilled out and a great sunset destination.
Batu Bolong Beach
There are some decent surfing spots on this beach and at low tide, it’s fine for swimming.
It’s one of the more popular beaches in the area.
Seseh Beach
Seseh Beach is very popular with the local community and for surfers, it attracts big waves.
It often has photography classes making use of the space to record the perfect Balinese sunset for their Instagram feeds. This beach is also good for drone shots (check out Bali’s drone laws before you go though).
If you want somewhere beautiful away from the crowds, it’s Seseh Beach.
What To Do Near Echo Beach?
FINNS Beach Club
The best beach club in the world, FINNS Beach Club, is in Canggu and after a day of surfing, why not head to FINNS Beach Club to enjoy some of the best music, a great sunset and amazing food?
There are three infinity pools to enjoy at the beach club and it’s the most fun you can have in Bali with no entrance fee and no minimum spend requirement! Don’t miss out.
A visit to Bali without a visit to FINNS Beach Club is a real missed opportunity.
Tanah Lot Temple
Tanah Lot is a fifteen-minute drive away and it’s an amazing place with a spectacular temple on an island just off the coast.
It’s one of the top Instagram spots in Bali.
Horse Back Riding
Just a mile down the road from Echo Beach is the Bali Equestrian Centre and they have horses suitable for children from the age of 7 and up as well as adults. If you have younger children, they can give pony rides, instead.
Splash Water Park
If you want a great family day out playing in the water, and without having to worry about any waves at all, you could visit Splash Water Park at FINNS Rec Club (it’s the sister business of FINNS Beach Club).
It’s an awesome place to enjoy water slides and swimming in pools. Your kids could also use the trampoline center which is just awesome.
Nirwana Golf Course
This is a Greg Norman-designed course that is just 15 minutes from Echo Beach (it’s quite near to Tanah Lot, in fact, which means you can combine a visit to the two).
Not only does it have some amazing views of the Indian Ocean as well as the local rice terraces, but you can even see Tanah Lot itself from the greens!
FAQs
Why Is Echo Beach Famous?
Echo Beach, Bali is famous for being a black sand beach in an area best known for white sands. The black sands are from volcano eruptions and they make for a very different-looking beach.
However, the biggest reason that Echo Beach is famous is that many people think that it was featured in the song, “Echo Beach” by Martha and the Muffins. You can see it on YouTube here.
It was released in 1980 and became a global smash hit. However, it wasn’t about Echo Beach in Bali or, indeed, about any Echo Beach anywhere in the world.
The lyricist Mark said it was meant to describe a nostalgic feeling that you were somewhere that you’d want to back to. Nothing more.
What Happened To Martha And The Muffins?
Oddly, while Echo Beach was their only hit song, they are still creating music and are said to be working on a new album at the moment.
Their last release was in 2020, a downloadable track called “Stay Home and Dance” which was inspired, fairly obviously, by the Covid pandemic lockdowns.
Is There A Real Place Called Echo Beach?
Yes, in fact, it’s more than one real place. There is an Echo Beach in Ontario, Canada, an Echo Beach in Zanzibar in Tanzania, an Echo Beach in Pennsylvania, an Echo Beach in Idaho and our own Echo Beach in Bali, Indonesia.
Is Echo Beach In Canggu?
Yes, Echo Beach, Bali is in Canggu Village. It is not to be mistaken for Canggu Beach which spans both Echo Beach and Batu Bolong Beach.
Batu Bolong is the more trendy of the two beaches that form Canggu Beach as it has become a locus for European tourists recently.
However, both Echo Beach and Batu Bolong Beach attract their fair share of surfers seeking a great surf break.
Is Echo Beach Good For Beginners?
We’re going to assume that this question is about surfing and sadly, Echo Beach is not a good beach to learn to surf on.
In fact, Echo Beach has a reef break which can produce both left-hand and right-hand breaks and they can be very powerful. The reef is also quite dangerous if you’re not careful.
Thus, it’s best to leave Echo Beach to the intermediate and advanced surfers and learn to surf somewhere a little more beginner-friendly.
However, if your question was about swimming, unfortunately, it’s not a great beach for easy swimming and it’s certainly not the right place for a quiet family swim.
The majority of people who come to Echo Beach are there because it’s a lovely place to enjoy the sunset, the accommodation nearby is relatively cheap rent compared to much of Canggu and people who love awesome seafood on the beach.
Final Thoughts On Echo Beach
Echo Beach is located in Canggu in Bali and it’s a popular beach that rarely gets too busy.
Surfers love the challenging waves here and it’s one of the best beaches for intermediate and advanced surfing lessons but it’s not great for beginners.
There are some good restaurants around the site and you can chill here to your heart’s content.
It may not be the beach from the song but as beaches go, it’s a fine place to spend a day or two and watch the world go by.
